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Serena fronts
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Berlei, berlei.com.auSports bra, $59.95,
Berlei, berlei.com.auA
t 35, tennis pro Serena Williams has
made GOAT status on the court, backed
up Beyoncé and is even part of an amateur
dance troupe, recently displaying her
skills in a dance-themed commercial for
bra-makers Berlei. She’s basically living your best
life. So how does she manage to combine all that
power and precision with her penchant for
making a style statement every tournament
ǻȃ Ĵǰ
pop culture into it”) and a love of Mexican food?
ȂĴǯELLE:Tennis aside, how do you work out?
SERENA WILLIAMS:It depends how I feel, but
I run or I dance. I love the freedom to move. In
ǰ ¢ ě – you wake up
sore in areas you’ve never felt. It’s hard! I used to
think tennis was a workout, then I tried dance.
NowIdoitnotjustforęǰ ǯ Ȃ
a great way to just let go of everything.
ELLE:What’s on your workout playlist?
SW:Obviously Beyoncé. And I’m listening to
a tonne of hip-hop right now. I use music when
I’m running sprints to think, “Okay, I know this
part of the song, I will sing it, then I’ll be done.”
ELLE:What’s your favourite healthy meal?
SW:I have a serious problem when it comes to
tacos. I do a corn tortilla taco, but if you want it
to be healthy, you c ĴTennischampSerenaWilliams
knowsagoodbounce(and
agoodtaco)whensheseesitinstead. I used to cook a lot more. Now, I just
make tacos. Honestly, it’s become weird.
ELLE:How much has your training regimen
changed over your career?
SW:A lot. As you get older, you’re more aware of
injury-prevention exercises. Now we know so
much more about injury and fatigue – you have to
take all that knowledge and put it into practice.
ELLE:Has your body image changed with time?
SW: Ȃ ę ¢ ¢ǯ
Ithinknowmorethaneverwomendeserve
a positive role model. I’m never going to be a size 2
[Australian size 6] and there are a lot of women
wholooklikeme–it’snormaltolooklikethis.
ELLE:What are your pre-tournament rituals?
SW:The only way to survive a long tournament is
with preparation. It’s all done in the weeks and
monthsbeforethegame.ButIdon’thaveany
superstitions. I purposely changed that. I decided
they had nothing to do with the match.
ELLE:WhydoyouloveplayinginAustralia?
SW:The Australian Open really caters to the
player. It’s my favourite stop on the
tour. But there’s no preparing for
the climate. You just have to
prayto God that you don’t have
to play on a 40-degree day.
ELLE:Whichpartofyouron-court
ęǵ
SW:Ifthebraisokay,everything
else will fall into place. I want to
be in control of what is bouncing.
I love the support in Berlei’s bras.
I like that they make sports
bras that don’t necessarily look
sporty. The designs are cool but
they’re functional, too. In my job,
I don’t have time to think about
if my sports bra is doing its job.
I just need to think about
my opponent.JUST DANCE
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Words: Amy Starr. Photography: Pablo Martin (still-life); Getty ImagesFIT CLUB
162 ELLE AUSTRALIA